CARMEL, Ind., June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CNO Financial Group, Inc. has received 2020 Women on Board's highest honor – a Winning (W) rating – for the gender diversity of its board of directors. Two of the nine (22 percent) directors on CNO Financial Group's board are women.

Ellyn Brown joined CNO Financial Group's board of directors in May 2012. Ms. Brown has served on a number of other boards of public and not-for-profit entities, including NYSE-Euronext (the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, prior to its acquisition by ICE), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the Financial Accounting Foundation (parent of FASB and GASB), and previously chaired the board of NYSE Regulation, Inc. Prior to her retirement from an active law and consulting practice, she provided legal, operations, regulatory and governance advice to financial services industry clients and other enterprises operating in heavily-regulated, high-scrutiny environments, and worked with companies undertaking significant transformations.

Nina Henderson joined CNO Financial Group's board of directors in August 2012. Henderson is a retired Corporate Vice President of Bestfoods. During her 30 year career with Bestfoods (predecessor CPC International) she held numerous general management and executive marketing positions including CVP and President Bestfoods Grocery, CVP and President Bestfoods Specialty Markets, CVP Global Business Development. She is currently a director of Regus plc and Walter Energy. Previously, Ms. Henderson served on the boards of AXA Financial (including the Equitable Company, Alliance Bernstein and DLJ), Royal Dutch Shell plc, Del Monte Foods and Pactiv Corporation boards.

"CNO is committed to gender diversity and we're proud of our 'W' status," said Ed Bonach, CEO of CNO Financial Group. "Ellyn and Nina epitomize the depth of knowledge and expertise women can bring to a board of directors, and we're honored they're part of overseeing our corporation."

The cornerstone of the 2020 Women on Boards campaign is the 2020 Gender Diversity Directory, a national database of public and private companies that are categorized based on the gender composition of their boards. Companies are ranked in four categories:

W (winning) – Females represent more than 20 percent of the Board

V (very close) – Between 11 and 19 percent of Board members are women

T (token) – One woman on the Board

Z (zero) – Zero female Board members

"We are delighted that CNO Financial Group is a Winning 'W' company and congratulate them for their commitment to good corporate governance, boardroom diversity and women's advancement," said Malli Gero, president and co-founder of 2020 Women on Boards. "We look forward to seeing them on the 'W' list for years to come."

About CNO Financial GroupCNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CNO) is a holding company. Our insurance subsidiaries – principally Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company and Washington National Insurance Company – primarily serve middle-income pre-retiree and retired Americans by helping them protect against financial adversity and provide for a more secure retirement. For more information, visit CNO online at www.CNOinc.com.

About 2020 Women on BoardsFounded in Boston in 2010, 2020 Women on Boards is the national campaign to increase the percentage of women on U.S. company boards to 20 percent or greater by the year 2020. More information is available at www.2020wob.com.